Tag: ailments

Medical Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore

Posted on by Joy

Sometimes, our bodies present us with little ‘niggles’ small oddities that we usually brush off and ignore. Things cold hands for instance are ‘waved’ away with a ‘cold hands, warm heart’ comment. Nobody wants to bother their doctor every time something pops up, but it does pay to take notice. Sometime, small symptoms could point to something more important.

Pins & Needles in the hands

What it could be: A vitamin deficiency, namely Vitamin B12. This Vitamin can be found in dairy products, seafood and eggs.

See your doctor: If you also develop blurred vision, this can be an indicator of multiple sclerosis (MS). There may also be other symptoms present such as issues with balance and noticeable weakness in the muscles. Symptoms vary because of the way MS damages nerve fibres. If there is persistent tingling in the hands, or the feet, constant exhaustion and any loss of vision then get your doctor to have tests carried out

 

Flashes of light in your vision

What it could be: posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). This is a natural part of the ageing process. When we get older, the vitreous substance in the eye starts to become more liquid in the centre. When this happens, it then tends to shrink away from the retina.

See your doctor: If these symptoms have suddenly appeared, get worse and you develop other symptoms such as blurred vision. If ‘floaters’ or a ‘shadow’ floats across your vision, then this could be a detached retina and you should contact www.sjogeye.com.au or a similar specialist.

 

Stomach pain

What it could be: Indigestion, which can be caused by eating too fast.

See your doctor: When the pain is accompanied by nausea and this happens after a fatty meal, then it might be gallstones. If gallstones are blocking the ducts of the gallbladder, it can create problems like intense pain in the upper abdomen and even look like jaundice. Now is the time to see your doctor.

 

Cold hands & feet

What it could be: Cold hands and feet are a sign of poor circulation, which is usually brought on by smoking or stress.

See your doctor: Cold hands that cannot be warmed up could be a sign of Raynaud’s disease. This disease causes small blood vessels in the extremities to contract in cold weather. When this happens, skin will usually turn first white, then blue. It will then feel numb as blood flow fails to reach the outer layers.

An attack can last for several hours. The problem is that when the circulation improves and the blood flow returns to normal. It’s a problem because the tingling can very well become painful. With secondary Raynaud’s disease, you can also feel pain in the joints too or notice swelling.

 

We should never ignore the small things because they may turn out to be much bigger than we imagined. If you are ever in any doubt speak to your doctor – you have nothing to be embarrassed about and you are not wasting their time!

 

Image credit: Pixabay.com

Take Charge Of Your Own Breast Health – Be Aware of Breast Cancer!

Posted on by Joy

Although awareness campaigns for breast cancer are done all year round, the month of October is designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month to raise more attentiveness and educate individuals, usually women about breast cancer. Even though many great medical developments and advancements in its treatment have been made, there remains much to be accomplished in finding new ways to its treatment. Proper information dissemination and worldwide campaign is needed to alert more women about this deadly disease.

 

According to health experts, up to this time it is not clear what causes breast cancer. It most often occurs when breast cells begin to grow unusually forming a lump or a mass. These cells may metastasize throughout the breast or to the other parts of the body. Thus it is important for every woman to take charge of their own breast health.

 

Early diagnosis may provide the best chance of surviving the disease. It is necessary to check your breast periodically.  Some changes and symptoms to notice are the following:

  • a thickening mass or a lump that feels different especially if it exist in only one breast.
  • An abnormal change in the shape or size in either one or both breast
  • Redness, ulceration, crusting or inversion of the nipple
  • Bloody or fluid  discharge from the nipple even without squeezing
  • Dimpling or redness around the breast skin
  • an unusual pain that doesn’t go away.

 

Upon noticing any these changes, do not delay seeing your doctor.  Some changes may not be due to the disease yet it is still important for us to make sure.

 

Diagnosis for breast cancer involves the triple test:

  • clinical breast examination
  • imaging tests such as mammogram or ultrasound
  • biopsy

 

Below is an infographic from cdc.gov on risk factors of breast cancer.

breast cancer

Parkinson’s disease, no known cure

Posted on by Joy

Our body has the natural tendency to oscillate, the innate periodic high frequency vibration that corresponds to the fast heart beat which is called tremor. It usually manifests when we are angry, tired, nervous or hungry which seen normal in individuals. However when shaking becomes un-physiologic, it may be a manifestation of Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative (brain) disorder characterized by shaking or tremors, difficulty with walking, slowness of movement, coordination and balance problems.

Parkinson's disease

There is no known cure for Parkinson’s disease. The goal of treatment is to control and relief from the symptoms through medication to enhance the function of the dopamine system in the brain. Its signs and symptoms vary depending on the range of loss of the brain nerve cells that contain the substance termed as dopamine, the nerve cell which controls the muscle movement. Upon manifestation of the signs and symptoms, studies have shown that about 70% of the brain’s dopamine have already been lost and destroyed.

The usual symptoms of Parkinson’s disease starts with a mild stiffness and tremor in one limb, the arm or the leg.  Performing usual tasks may be difficult like buttoning a shirt, writing, reading, sewing and even eating as involuntary movements and shaking manifests. Most likely in due course the symptoms would involve the other limbs, one or both sides of the body.  No facial expression appearing as in mask-like , difficulty in swallowing, slow blinking and patient would appear to shuffle while walking. Studies have shown that exercise can help in slowing down the disease process especially when done during the early stages.

Parkinson’s disease average onset is at 60 years old and may affect both men and women.  Some cases are sporadic while others who get the disease younger than 50 years old are familial or inherited.

Up to this day, the cause why dopamine wastes away is still unknown. Diagnosis and evaluation is based mostly on the signs and symptoms as well as clinical history. A thorough evaluation is crucial to come up with an accurate diagnosis, thus correct treatment will be implemented. The Parkinson’s disease Profile (PDP) and Tremor Analysis through Neuroscan is used by Neurologists for a detailed clinical and electro-physiologic evaluation of patients with the disorder.

 

Referrence: parkinsons.about.com/; webmd.com; health.nytimes.com/

Photo credits: en.wikipedia.org